


The Dark Secret of Hale House

by bilesandthesourwolf (snb123)



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Teen Wolf Reverse Bang
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-10
Updated: 2013-01-10
Packaged: 2017-11-24 23:58:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 20,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/632938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snb123/pseuds/bilesandthesourwolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Holy God," Stiles whispered. He was dead. He was so so dead. There was no way he was going to survive this. </p><p>The black wolf took a step forward and Stiles moved to take a step back, but froze when the wolf's snarl became louder. He seriously wanted to turn and run for the fence, but he knew he wouldn't out run the wolf. He stood perfectly still, hopping the wolf would find him as unthreatening as he actually was.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Dark Secret of Hale House

**Author's Note:**

> My Reverse Bang Entry based on the awesome artwork by ceares! This is the first time I've written something this long and I hope you guys like it!

 

The Hale House stood on a bluff overlooking the town of Beacon Hills. What was once a majestic, beautiful manor was now a dilapidated building, overrun by the surrounding forest; the back part of the house a burnt out shell of its former self. Some claim the house is haunted and no one dares step foot on the property. Children often taunt each other to climb the fence surrounding the house, but none are quite brave enough. On nights when the moon is full and the skies clear, eerie howling can be heard from the bluff, a mournful sound that echoes throughout the valley. The official report on the fire states "arson" but no one was ever apprehended, no culprit ever found. Nine Hales went missing that night, no bodies ever found. Some say they died in the fire, bodies disintegrated by the heat. Others say they simply disappeared.

~

Stiles Stilinski heaved a sigh as he hauled the last box up the stairs to his new room. He kicked the door open and dropped the box on top of another, little regard for the contents. Wiping his brow with the back of his hand, he surveyed his surroundings. Boxes littered the floor, a desk was shoved under the window, his mattress and bed frame stood in the corner, and his dresser was against the closet. He was not looking forward to unpacking his belongings into this unfamiliar room.

Stiles was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of a crash and cursing coming from downstairs. Throwing one more glance around the room, he went to see what the commotion was all about.  
He found his father, John, in the entry way with the movers, one of which was favoring his foot and the other apologizing for apparently dropping the couch. John was hiding a smile behind his hand. Stiles grinned and went to join his father as the movers picked the couch up again.

"Get all your boxes into your new room?" John asked while clapping his son on the shoulder.  
Stiles felt his grin falter while nodding.

John sighed. "I know this isn't the way you wanted to spend your senior year, Stiles. But Beacon Hills was the only place to offer me a job."

Stiles was born and raised in a small town in Southern California. His father worked for the local Sheriff department for almost twenty years. The department had to make cuts; John was one of the deputies to be let go. Now here they were, hundreds of miles away in Northern California in an equally small town called Beacon Hills. Luckily, the local department felt that John had enough experience under his belt to replace the current, about to retire, Sheriff. It was a nice upgrade from deputy and Stiles was happy for his dad. He was just upset that he had to be uprooted from the only life he'd known, to a town he'd never even heard of, in the middle of his senior year of high school.

"I know dad," Stiles said with a small smile. "I'll be fine. Just nervous about starting a new school."

"It'll take some getting used to, but I know you'll be just fine," John reassured. "Plus, I hear the school has a great lacrosse team."

Stiles immediately perked up. "Lacrosse? Why didn't you say anything before?"

"I only just heard the movers talking about it," John grinned, knowing the news would cheer his son up.

Just then, the movers came in with the coffee table. They placed it in the living room then joined John and Stiles in the entry way.

"That's the last of it, Mr. Stilinsky," one of them said. Stiles fake coughed to cover a laugh. John grinned.

"Yeah, good thing too," the other mover joined in. "Looks like it's about to rain."

"Thanks for the help," John shook both men’s' hands and saw them to the door.

With a final wave, the movers got in the van and pulled out of the drive way. Stiles joined his father at the open door in time to see the first drops of rain splash on the driveway. They stood there in silence for a few moments, watching as the sky turned dark and the rain turned from a light sprinkle to a steady downpour.

~

Stiles flopped face first onto his mattress and groaned. He'd spent almost the whole weekend helping his dad unpack and getting settled into their new home. It was Sunday afternoon and he hadn't even started on his own room yet. He knew he needed to get some essentials taken care of or he'd be screwed trying to get ready in the morning and that was the absolute last thing he needed on his first day at a new school.

With a sigh, Stiles flipped over and stared at the ceiling. He allowed himself a few minutes of rest, listening to the wind blowing outside, before sitting up and staring around the room, trying to decide where to start first.

He eventually decided to work on his clothes first and his desk second. He found all the boxes labeled "clothes" and dropped them all by his dresser. Stiles started sorting his clothes into piles. After a few moments, he got bored and just shoved everything into the dresser.

He moved to his desk next. He got the printer and speakers set up for his laptop, which was already placed on the middle of the desk. Stiles found the box with his desk lamp and set it up beside the printer. Then he turned the box upside down and emptied the random pens, pencils, markers, and highlighters onto the desk. Stiles shuffled everything around a bit until he was satisfied.

He was surveying his handy work when his lacrosse stick caught his attention. With a grin, Stiles grabbed it and sat on his bed. He ran his fingers over it, checked to make sure the net was secure.  
Lacrosse had been a godsend for Stiles. After his mom died, he'd needed an outlet for his anger, something to focus his rage on. His therapist had suggested sports. Stiles tried a few out, but soon discovered he wasn't exactly coordinated enough to play basketball or soccer. Baseball didn't hold his attention enough. He liked running, but track didn't help with his anger. He'd finally settled on lacrosse. It seemed perfect; he got to run around, throw balls, and slam into other people.

The more he played, the more Stiles realized it wasn't just helping with his anger; it was also helping with his ADHD. It was a great way for him to release his pent up energy, which, in turn, helped him focus more in school. He still took Adderall, but it was a lower dosage than when he was younger. He still tended to fidget and flail a bit, but he felt better, more focused than when he was in middle school.

Back at his old school, Stiles wasn't the best player, but he was good enough to make first string varsity his junior year. He'd been excited for the season to start in March, now he wasn't so sure. He hoped he would be good enough for the team at Beacon Hills High. He'd be lost without Lacrosse.

Stiles continued to sit there, tightening the strings on the net, while the wind continued to howl outside his window.

~

Stiles woke with a start, his father looming over him. "You slept through your alarm. Up and at 'em," John gave his shoulder one more shake then turned to leave. Stiles groaned and rolled over, burying his face in the pillow.

"Come on, son," John said from the doorway. "You don't want to be late on your first day."

With a sigh, Stiles kicked his blanket off and stumbled to his feet. He stretched, back popping, then shuffled across the hall to the bathroom. After he brushed his teeth and took a quick shower, Stiles felt slightly more human.

He scrubbed his towel over his short hair then ran his fingers through it by way of styling. Stiles usually had his hair buzzed short but he'd decided to let it grow out when he'd learned they were moving somewhere colder. Stiles thought he looked stupid in hats so at least the longer hair would help keep him warm.

He made his way back to his room and threw on his standard outfit - jeans, t-shirt, and flannel - and shoved his feet into some sneakers. He grabbed his backpack and a black jacket then clomped down the stairs.

John was waiting for him in the kitchen, a plate of toast in one hand and a thermos of coffee in the other.

"You are a lifesaver," Stiles said, reaching for the coffee. But his dad shoved the toast at him first. He sighed, grabbed the toast, and attempted to shove an entire slice into his mouth.

"I don't know where I went wrong," John said with a shake of his head, fond smile on his face.  
"You love it," Stiles tried to say around the food in his mouth.

"I do," his dad confirmed before holding the coffee out. "Now get going or you're going to be late."

"I'm going. I'm going," Stiles shrugged his jacket on, grabbed his backpack and coffee and headed to the door, his father on his heels.

"Have a good day," John said as Stiles opened the door. "And try not to traumatize your new teachers too much."

"I make no promises," Stiles answered with a grin. "I'll see you later dad."

He climbed into his old blue Jeep and threw his backpack onto the passenger seat. He turned the engine over and gave his dad one more wave before throwing the car into reverse and backing out of the driveway.

He and his dad had visited Beacon Hills several weeks ago to look for a house and to get Stiles enrolled in his new school. Luckily his old school had finished the semester before Christmas break, the same as his new school. He'd be starting the new semester afresh with all the other students.

Stiles made it to the high school and drove around the parking lot until he found a spot. He sat there for a few minutes, finishing his coffee, before he grabbed his bag and got out of the car. He could already feel a few people staring. Stiles tried to hunch further into his jacket, telling himself it was because of the chill wind.

He made his way into the building and headed towards to the office, glad he was already somewhat familiar with the school. The secretary ushered him back to the Guidance Counselor. She was a friendly younger woman, more than happy to go over his class schedule with him.  
Stile was pleased to see he was taking almost the same classes he was at his old school: Economics, AP English, Chemistry, Calculus, AP Spanish II, and Ceramics. Beacon Hills didn't offer AP Chemistry, which he was in at his old school and he was taking Ceramics instead of having a free period. After they went over his schedule, Ms. Morell gave him a map of the school and offered to have a student show him around. He declined, not wanting to stick out more than he already was.

On his way out of the office, the secretary gave him a piece of paper with his locker information and told him he could go to the Library before the bell rang to get his books. Before he stepped into the hall, Stiles tried to memorize the map as best he could. Confident he wouldn't get too lost, he joined the sea of bodies.

Stiles made it to the library where the old Librarian loaded him down with 5 heavy textbooks and gave him a smile that didn't feel at all reassuring. He gave a weak smile in return before heading into the main hall once more. He took a left and began scanning the lockers for number 2004. He was just passing 2002 when he ran into someone.

"Shit," he cursed as his books fell to the ground. Bending down to pick them up, he said, "I'm sorry, I didn't..."

"Watch it, asshole," the guy he ran into cut him off.

Stiles straightened up with his books to see a boy with blonde hair glaring at him. "My bad, bro," he apologized. "Guess I missed the 'Douchbag Crossing' sign."

Someone snickered as the blonde knocked the books from his hands and shoved Stiles against the lockers. He hissed as he felt a handle dig into his back.

"What did you call me?" the blonde snarled, face close to Stiles'.

"Douchbag," he replied coolly. "Want me to say it in Spanish?"

"I should kick your ass," the jerk pushed him into the lockers harder.

Stiles tried to suppress a groan as his back dug more into the handle. He was about to start shoving back when someone to the left cleared their throat.

"Is there a problem, gentlemen?" the voice was smooth and calm.

The blonde glared at Stiles one last time before shoving off his chest. "No, Mr. Hale," he drawled. "I was just helping the new kid pick up his books."

Stiles snorted then bent down to get his books once more.

"I'm sure you were, Mr. Whittemore," the teacher replied. "But I think it's best if you headed to class now."

Stiles stood up in time to see the blonde leaving with his friends. He sighed and started turning the dial on his locker.

"Already making friends, Mr. Stilinski?"

Stiles startled, unaware that he wasn't alone. He got the locker opened and shoved his books inside before turning to the teacher. "What can I say? I've always been an overachiever," he answered sarcastically.

The teacher gave a soft chuckle. He was younger, probably mid-thirties, with a handsome face and charming smile. "I'm Peter Hale, Mr. Hale to students. I believe I have you 6th period."  
Something about the way he said 'I have you' sounded strange to Stiles, a little too possessive.

"Uh, yeah. That's what my schedule says."

Mr. Hale's smile grew wider. "I'll see you this afternoon then, Mr. Stilinski."

"Yeah," Stiles replied as the bell rang. "I'll, uh, see you later."

He turned to head towards his Economics class. When he got to the end of the hall, he looked over his shoulder and saw Mr. Hale still standing there, staring at him, with a thoughtful smile on his face. Stiles shuddered slightly as he turned back around. Something about Peter Hale put him on edge.

~

Stiles made it to the classroom as the tardy bell rang. Students were still making their way to their seats as the teacher - Mr. Finstock, according to his schedule - yelled at everyone to calm down. Stiles hovered uncertainly in the doorway as Finstock said, "Can it! I know you're all still high on post vacation bliss, but we gotta start the semester out right."

The students calmed down some, so Stiles moved closer to the desk and cleared his throat. Finstock whipped around and eyed him for a moment before saying, "You must be Bilinski."

Several students snickered. "It's, uh, 'Stilinski', sir," Stiles shuffled his feet and toyed with the strap on his backpack.

"You're the new Sheriff's kid?" At that, the room went silent and Stiles could feel all eyes on him.

"Yes, sir," he was starting to fidget more, not liking the attention.

"You play any sports?" Finstock's eyes were wide, slightly bugged.

"I was on the varsity Lacrosse team at my old school. First string."

The teacher's eyes widened more. "Well that's just fantastic. I'm the varsity Lacrosse coach. Tryouts are next month. I expect to see you there."

Stiles nodded. "Yes sir."

"Good, good. Now go sit down next to McCall."

He nodded again and turned to see an empty seat next to a brown haired boy, right behind the blonde asshole from earlier. Stiles groaned internally and suppressed the urge to "accidentally" bump the jerk's face with his backpack as he passed. The ass was obviously looking for some payback as he stuck his foot out at the last second and tripped Stiles. He stumbled forward but managed to catch himself on the edge of his desk. Some students snickered as Stiles lowered himself into his seat.

"Don't mind Jackson. He's a dickhead to everyone," a voice mock whispered to his left.

Stiles snorted and turned to see the McCall kid leaning across the aisle. He had floppy brown hair, brown eyes, and a slightly uneven jaw. Stiles was reminded of a puppy.

"Yeah, I'm starting to get that."

Jackson turned to glare at them but said nothing as Mr. Finstock had started passing out the syllabus for the semester.

"I'm Scott," the kid said.

"Stiles," he offered back.

"Stiles Stilinski?"

"It's a long story," Stiles replied.

"Greenberg," they both jerked as Finstock's voice rang out. "I told you to pass the papers back. Not hog them all!"

Scott turned to Stiles with a grin. "Welcome to Beacon Hills High."

~

The rest of the morning went by fairly quickly. After Economics, Stiles had Ceramics with a quirky woman that gestured widely with her hands and acted genuinely happy to meet him; Stiles could tell he was going to enjoy the class. After that, he had Calculus. He was good at math and knew he wouldn't have any problems. His last class before lunch was AP Spanish II. The teacher welcomed him, saying everything in Spanish, then made him pick a new name to use for the semester. He chose "Miguel" and that was that.

When the lunch bell rang, Stiles made his way to the cafeteria with some trepidation. He'd packed a lunch the night before, not knowing what to expect from the school's kitchen. He liked to eat outside at his old school but it was raining and the wind was howling.

He didn't need to worry too much though, because the second he stepped through the doors, he heard a shouted "Dude! Stiles!"

He turned his head and saw Scott standing at a table with several other students, frantically waving his arms. Stiles smiled and navigated his way through bodies and tables until he was standing next to Scott, who threw his arm around his shoulders and said, "Guys, this is Stiles."  
Stiles gave a smile and an awkward wave as Scott began introducing his friends. There was Boyd - a muscular black boy - Erica, - a blonde bombshell with bright red lips and a wicked glint in her eyes - and Isaac - a boy with curly blonde hair and a face that made Stiles want to take care of him.

Scott finally gestured to the last girl at the table, a gorgeous burnett, and exclaimed, "And this angel is Allison, my girlfriend."

Allison smiled brightly while the others groaned. Scott sat down and immediately grabbed Allison's hand. He motioned for Stiles to take the seat next to him. He spent the remainder of the lunch hour answering general questions about himself and talking about Lacrosse with the guys, all of whom were on the team.

Stiles was pleased to discover he had his next class, Chemistry, with all of them but Boyd. They all said their goodbyes to Boyd then headed to the Chemistry classroom together.

The teacher, Mr. Harris, held a very obvious disdain for students - which didn't bode well for Stiles as he tended to get fidgety and distracted during boring classes - and the remainder of the class felt a little bit like torture.

His last class of the day was AP English. Once again, he lucked out and had the class with Scott and Allison. They made their way to the classroom, Scott chattering about how he was glad Stiles would be in class with him and could he pretty please help him with his essays? Stiles smiled and agreed as Allison watched her boyfriend with amusement.

They got to the classroom and Scott and Allison went in before Stiles. He stood at the threshold, feeling slightly uneasy and not understanding why. He hesitated for a moment longer before he entered the room, eyes finding Scott and Allison claiming seats near the back of the room. Stiles started toward them when he felt a hand land on his shoulder. He nearly cried out in surprise before turning to see Mr. Hale standing behind him, hand resting lightly on his shoulder. Stiles tried not to shudder.

"Welcome to my class, Mr. Stilinski," the teacher greeted. "It's nice to see you again."

"Yeah, um, thanks," Stiles stuttered out, feeling uncomfortable. He tried to take a step forward, but the hand held firm.

"If you need anything, anything at all, please feel free to see me," Mr. Hale's voice dropped to nearly a whisper before he finally released his shoulder.

Stiles quickly moved away, joining Allison and Scott. They were giving him puzzled looks.

"What was that all about," Scott asked, once Stiles was seated.

"Just welcoming me to his class," Stiles muttered, hunching down in his desk.

There was something about Mr. Hale that was entirely too disconcerting.

~

After that first day, Stiles' life fell into a nice routine. He'd go to school, start on his homework once he got home, fix dinner and have it ready by the time his dad got home, then finish up any homework after spending time with the town's new Sheriff.

He was surprised by how fast he and Scott became friends. Sure, he was on friendly terms with the others, but there was something about Scott that Stiles was drawn to. They'd spend Saturdays at each other’s houses, playing video games or watching movies.

Jackson continued to be an asshole, but Stiles came to realize Scott was right; he was a jerk to everyone but his girlfriend - Lydia Martin, who was totally gorgeous and Stiles was seriously jealous that she was with someone like Jackson - and best friend - Danny Mahaelani was the complete opposite of Jackson and everyone absolutely adored him.

Stiles was doing fine in all his classes, finding time to manage homework and spending time with his dad and Scott was not a problem. His teachers were nice and they all seemed to like him, with the exception of Harris.

Unfortunately for Stiles, Mr. Hale seemed to like him a little too much. He always called on Stiles to read passages out loud and to answer questions, even when he didn't raise his hand. He was always reminding Stiles that he was available if he ever needed anything. Stiles was getting more unnerved with each passing day.

One Friday morning, mid-February, Finstock reminded them all that Lacrosse tryouts were in a week. Stiles was startled to realize a month and a half had passed since he started at Beacon Hills High.

When the bell rang, Scott threw his arm around Stiles' shoulders and smiled. "Dude! I am so ready to start Lacrosse again. We should definitely get some practicing in before next week."

Stiles nodded, eager to play again. "Totally. We should get Boyd and Isaac to join us."

They agreed to make plans during lunch then separated for the rest of the morning. When lunch rolled around, they all met at their table, the boys immediately going off about Lacrosse. They made plans to practice at the local park the next day.

Chemistry that afternoon was particularly tedious, Harris droning on about ionic bonds and Stiles spent most of the class doodling in his notebook. He sighed with relief when the bell finally rang. Unfortunately, Harris kept them back to give out an assignment and Scott, Allison, and Stiles barely made it to English when the tardy bell rang. The only available seats were in the front row and they all sighed as they took their seats.

"We're going to continue reading from Romeo and Juliet today," Mr. Hale said, standing at the front of the room. "Mr. Stilinski, you'll be reading the part of Romeo. Ms. Martin, you'll be reading Juliet."

Stiles would have felt elated to be reading the part with Lydia, but he couldn't get past the way Mr. Hale was staring at him, eyes bright, smile slightly predatory. They started reading and Stiles tried to focus as best he could, but every time he glanced up, Mr. Hale was still staring at him like he was something to eat, prey to be chased. At one point, Stiles would swear he saw the teacher’s eyes shift color, from brown to a light blue. He was completely freaked out, to say the least.

When the bell rang, Stiles grabbed his bag and rushed out of the room, not waiting for Scott and Allison. He went to his locker and started grabbing the books he would need for the weekend, trying to keep his mind off Mr. Hale. He jumped when a hand landed on his shoulder.

"Holy God," he shouted, backpack falling to the ground.

"Sorry," Scott exclaimed, removing his hand. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's ok," Stiles reassured, heart rate slowing back down.

"You still joining us at the diner?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Cool, I'll see you there," Scott said before joining Allison down the hall.

Stiles slammed his locker shut and took a shaky breath. He took a moment to collect himself before making his way to the parking lot, going the long way around the school to avoid walking past his English classroom.

Fifteen minutes later Stiles slid into a booth at the local diner. Erica, Boyd, and Isaac were already there. He greeted them then picked up a menu. They'd started hanging out at the diner on Friday afternoon's as a way to unwind from the school week. Allison and Scott showed up just as the waitress came by for orders.

They all started talking about their plans for the weekend, but Stiles was too distracted by his thoughts to pay much attention. He couldn't understand why Peter Hale made him so nervous, why he felt so uncomfortable in his presence. Finally, Stiles couldn't take it anymore, and he blurted "Is it just me, or is Mr. Hale really creepy?"

He fidgeted with his straw wrapper as everyone stopped talking and turned to stare at him. They all looked as though he'd brought up a taboo subject.

"Dude, I keep forgetting you're new here," Scott was the first to break the silence.

"Oh, that's right! He has no idea, does he?" Isaac added.

"No idea about what?" Stiles was getting curious.

"About the Hales," Allison and Erica said at the same time.

"What about them?"

Everyone started talking at the same time, obviously wanting to tell the story. They all stopped, stared at each other, then started again. Stiles laughed when everyone stopped talking again.

"Maybe one at a time would be better."

"Allison! You tell it," Scott said. "You tell it the best." The other's seemed to agree.

"Alright," Allison agreed. "You've seen that big old house up the hill?" Stiles nodded. "Well, that's the old Hale House. Mr. Hale used to live there with his brother's family. Back in 2004, almost 9 years ago, there was a really bad fire. Mr. Hale was away at a conference or something when the fire broke out. No one really knows what happened, but the rest of the Hale's were trapped in the basement. No one survived." Stiles felt his jaw drop.

"That's not true," Erica added. "You forgot about Derek."

"Well, no one ever sees Derek, do they?" Isaac said. "It's easy to forget about him."

"Who's Derek?" Stiles asked.

"Derek Hale is Mr. Hale's nephew," Allison answered. "He's the only one that survived the fire. When the fire department finally got up to the house, Derek was just standing there, watching the flames."

"Was he hurt?" Stiles wondered.

"Not really. His clothes were burned and he had ash on his skin," Boyd said.

"My mom was working that night," Scott chimed in. "She said he had some burns and his lungs had smoke damage, but nothing was serious. He was mostly in shock."

"How old was he?"

"He was 15, a sophomore at Beacon Hills," Erica said.

"Jesus," Stiles whispered.

"Yeah, poor guy," Scott shook his head. "After the funeral, Derek just like disappeared. No one ever sees him."

"Some people think he still lives up at the old house," Isaac said. "But no one ever goes up there, so who knows."

"Why doesn't anyone go up there?" Stiles asked.

"Cause everyone thinks it's haunted," Scott answered. "The bodies of the Hale's were never found and that place is seriously creepy."

"What do you mean, their bodies were never found?"

Allison grimaced. "The police think the fire burned so hot that the bodies simply turned to ash. They didn't find any remains of the Hale's. Mr. Hale buried empty coffins."

"But, if there were no bodies, how do they know the Hale's were in the house?" Stiles questioned.

"Because Derek said they were," Boyd looked upset. "It's really the only thing he was able to tell the police."

"God, that's sad," Stiles said.

"Yeah," Scott sighed. "Benji was our age. You guys remember him? He was really funny!" The others nodded in agreement.

"How many Hales were there?" Stiles wasn't sure he wanted to know, already feeling sad about the whole situation.

"There were 11," Allison answered. "Mr. Hale, James and Karen were all siblings. Then there was Karen's husband Darren and their daughter Rose. And then James and his wife, Alicia, had 5 kids: Laura, Derek, Benji, Sarah, and Ashley."

Stiles felt slightly queasy. "That's horrible."

"Yeah," Scott agreed. "Mr. Hale can seem a bit strange sometimes, but you can't really blame the guy, after what he's been through."

"And tonight's a full moon," Erica added. They all stared at her like she was crazy.

"What the hell does that have to do with anything?" Boyd asked.

Erica rolled her eyes. "Do any of you pay attention? Mr. Hale always acts weird when there's a full moon."

"Oh, sorry," Isaac said sarcastically. "Not all of us keep track of the lunar cycle."

The others laughed while Erica scowled. They moved the conversation on, not wanting to linger on such a sad topic. But Stiles couldn't move on. The story of the Hales stayed with him the rest of the day.

~

That night, Stiles woke with a start, breathing ragged. It took a moment for him to realize he was awake, no longer trapped in the nightmare, the details of which were slowly trickling away. He could remember fire and screaming but not much else. Stiles sighed and rolled onto his side, feeling uneasy. In the distance, a wolf howled.

~

The next morning, Stiles met the guys at the park. They practiced Lacrosse and played around for a few hours before Scott announced he had to leave.

"I've got a study date with Allison," he grinned.

"You sure it's not just a date date?" Isaac joked.

Scott shoved him in the shoulder then bid them all goodbye. The rest of them left shortly after.  
Stiles got home and showered then finished his homework for the weekend. By noon, he was bored and on edge. He felt the need to get out, do something other than be alone with his thoughts. He finally decided to go for a drive.

He grabbed his keys and a jacket then headed out the door. That morning, the skies had been clear, but big grey clouds had rolled in and the wind was picking up.

Stiles drove to the edge of town then found himself pulling off the road next to an old sign, covered in ivy, by an old dirt trail. He got out of the Jeep and moved the ivy away from the sign. The writing was faded but he could just make out the words "Hale House". Stiles wasn't surprised to find himself here, next to a path that looked like it hadn't been trodden in years.  
Before he could talk himself out of it, Stiles started up the path. It was on a slight incline, but nothing too unmanageable. He stumbled a few times on unseen roots, but stayed upright. Twenty minutes later, the path led out of the trees and into a clearing. As Stiles cleared the trees, the Hale House came into view.

There was a wrought iron gate covered in ivy, maybe seven feet high, surrounding the house. The house it's self was bigger than he would have guessed. As he walked closer to the fence, more details became clear. Most of the windows were gone, those that remained were cracked. The paint was mostly peeled off, the bricks crumbling. Ivy covered large portions of the house. Stiles circled the fence, running his fingers along the metal. He stopped when the back of the house came into view.

The house was completely destroyed back here, black and charred from the fire. Stiles could picture how it would have looked that night, ablaze in orange and yellow flames, smoke billowing towards the night sky. He closed his eyes and could almost hear the screams that must have come from the basement as the Hale family burned alive. With a shudder, Stiles opened his eyes.

"What the hell am I doing here?" he questioned aloud.

With a sigh, he turned back toward the front of the house. When he got level with the front door, he stopped and pushed some of the ivy away from the fence to get a better look at the yard. He held onto the bars and pushed his face through the fence as much as he could. The yard was over grown with weeds, patches of grass grown knee-high. He squinted when something shiny caught his eye. There, around the other corner of the house, Stiles could see a black car.

Stealing his resolve, Stiles began to climb the fence. It was fairly easy and before long his was dropping down on the other side. From this side of the fence, he almost felt like he was in a different world. It felt calm and eerie, a little too quiet. Stiles pulled his jacket closer and made his way towards the car.

It was a shiny, sleek, new Camaro. Stiles was baffled. He circled the car and noticed that it was parked on a well-worn patch of grass and weeds. There was a path behind it, cut through the growth, as though it came and went on a fairly regular basis.

Maybe Derek Hale did still live here, in his childhood home were his family died. Stiles shook his head to get rid of the depressing thoughts and decided to leave before Derek found him trespassing.

Stiles was almost to the fence when a loud snarl came from behind him. He slowly turned and nearly screamed. There, standing before him, were wolves. Lots of wolves, all different shapes and sizes. His attention, however, was focused solely on the huge black wolf standing slightly in front of the others. Its eyes were icy blue and its mouth was pulled back in a snarl.

"Holy God," Stiles whispered. He was dead. He was so so dead. There was no way he was going to survive this.

The black wolf took a step forward and Stiles moved to take a step back, but froze when the wolf's snarl became louder. He seriously wanted to turn and run for the fence, but he knew he wouldn't out run the wolf. He stood perfectly still, hopping the wolf would find him as unthreatening as he actually was.

The wolf raised its nose, teeth still barred, and seemed to sniff the air. Its nose twitched several times before it lowered its head and stared right at Stiles. It was no longer snarling, which he took as a good sign, as it took several more steps closer. The wolf stopped when it was barely a foot away. Stiles was trying really hard not to freak out. The wolf was huge; its head was level with Stiles' chest.

He could feel his heart rate slowly returning to normal as the wolf just stared at him. Stiles could swear its head was tilted at almost a quizzical angle, like it was puzzled, trying to figure him out. The longer they stood there, the more Stiles actually started to feel calm, something about the wolf's eyes were soothing. He had to resist the urge to reach out and touch the wolf's shiny black fur.

After what felt like an eternity of staring at each other, the wolf took that final step forward and put its muzzle right against Stiles' neck. He felt his heart stutter as the wolf snuffled, cold nose pressed into his skin. Finally, the wolf pulled back with a strangled sort of moan. It stared at Stiles a moment longer before turning around and joining the other wolves.

Stiles took that as his queue to leave and slowly backed toward the fence. When his back hit metal, he turned and scrambled over the fence as fast as he could. He ran towards the path without a second glance. He didn't stop running until he got to his Jeep. He braced his hands on the hood, gasping for breath.

Only when he was driving home did he allow himself to realize there had been 10 wolves at the Hale House.

~

The next week passed in a blur. Stiles tried to distract himself with homework and getting ready for Lacrosse tryouts, not letting his mind wander to the Hale House and the pack of wolves.  
That didn't stop him from dreaming about it. He had the same nightmare he'd had the previous weekend. Only now, there were wolves being burned and howls instead of screams. Stiles woke several nights that week, drenched in a cold sweat, the sound of howling echoing in his ears.

~

By the time Friday afternoon rolled around, Stiles was more than ready for the distraction of Lacrosse tryouts. He and Scott left English together. They met up with Boyd and Isaac in the locker room where they all changed into their gear than headed out to the field.

They joined the other hopefuls on the bench as Finstock made his way toward them. "Alright ladies, this is how it's gonna work. If you were on the team last year, good for you. But you still have to try out with everyone else. That means, Greenberg, that you might not make the team this year. We're gonna run through some drills then split up and play a scrimmage. I'll make my decisions this weekend and post the team list on Monday."

They ran practice drills for an hour and then Finstock split them into two teams. Stiles, Scott, and Isaac ended up on a team together while Boyd was teamed up with Jackson and Danny. Stiles took his position on the field as midfielder, facing-off with Jackson. Finstock stood beside them, ready to drop the ball.

Finstock dropped the ball, but before he'd even blown the whistle, Jackson had scooped the ball up and shoved Stiles. He wasn't prepared for the cheap trick and hit the ground hard.

"Dammit," Stiles shouted as he jumped back up. He chased after Jackson but wasn't quick enough to stop him from scoring on Greenberg.

Jackson cheered and smirked at Stiles as he made his way back to midfield. Stiles was pissed, but he knew Jackson was willing to play dirty, so he was ready the next time they faced-off. He got the ball as Finstock blew the whistle and shoved up into Jackson's chest, cleated foot coming down on Jackson's foot. Stiles smiled as he took off, Jackson's curses ringing in his ears. He made it down the field to the goal and shot, the ball sailing past Danny into the net. He pumped his fist in triumph as Scott thumped him on the back.

The rest of the scrimmage went by quickly, both teams playing hard and dirty. They ended in a tie. Stiles was sore and tired but he couldn't stop grinning. It felt so good to be playing again.  
Finstock reminded them to check his office door on Monday morning for the team list as they headed back to the locker room. They got changed and headed toward the parking lot.

"Hey," Scott exclaimed. "You guys wanna go for pizza?"

Boyd and Isaac agreed but Stiles declined. "My dad isn't working tonight. I told him we'd watch a movie or something."

"That's cool dude," Scott said. "I'll talk to you tomorrow or something."

Stiles waved goodbye then climbed into his Jeep. He was texting his dad to see what he wanted for dinner when movement in front of his car caught his attention. The Jeep was facing the woods and Stiles looked up into the line of trees. There, several feet from the edge of the parking lot, was the black wolf Stiles had all but convinced himself wasn't real, simply part of an elaborate, made up dream. It was staring at him in that same quizzical way it had a week ago.  
Stiles closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and shook his head. When he opened his eyes again, the wolf was gone.

"The hell is going on," Stiles yelled to his empty car before starting the Jeep and leaving the school parking lot.

~

Stiles successfully kept himself distracted that evening, eating veggie pizza and watching The Fellowship of the Ring with his dad. John fell asleep half way through the movie but Stiles continued watching until the end. Then he shook his dad awake and they both made their way upstairs to go to bed.

Stiles collapsed on his bed and fell asleep fairly quickly. He slept fitfully though and woke up around midnight, itch under his skin, the same feeling he'd had the week before. He kicked his covers off then shuffled to his closet. He pulled on a pair of jeans and a red hoodie. He slowly made his way downstairs, careful not to wake his dad. He put his sneakers on at the door then slipped out into the cold night.

Stiles drove around town but ultimately found himself back at the path, parked next to the old Hale House sign. He groaned and thumped his head against the steering wheel. "This is such a bad idea," he told himself.

That didn't stop him from getting out of the Jeep and starting up the path, cell phone held in front of him like a flash light. Soon enough, Stiles was in the clearing, facing the old house. He crossed the clearing and rested his hands on the cold metal of the fence. He released a sigh, breath clouding the air in front of him, before starting to climb.

The second he landed on the other side, Stiles was roughly shoved against the hard fence. He hissed in pain as his head hit one of the bars.

"What the hell are you doing here?" a voice snarled, sounding extremely close to his face.  
It took him a moment to focus, but when he did, Stiles realized he was being pressed into the fence by a ridiculously good looking man. He had strong, sharp features, dark hair, a few days of stubble, and from what he could see in the moonlight, green eyes.

"I asked you a question," the man's arm pressed into his chest a bit harder.

"Sorry," Stiles rasped. "I didn't realize anyone was home." He knew this wasn't the time for sarcasm. Not when a strange man - that was exceptionally well muscled, he noted - was pinning him to a fence. But Stiles didn't feel afraid, not in the least. He was intrigued and, if he was being completely honest with himself, slightly turned on.

The man leaned in even closer, his nostrils flaring slightly. He looked surprised for a moment before his eyes seemed to flash an icy blue color.

"Wha-."

"You're trespassing on private property," the man cut him off, breath fanning across Stiles' face. "I could have you arrested."

Stiles snorted. "My dad's the Sheriff, it wouldn't really..." He trailed off, going over the man's words again. "Oh my God! You're Derek Hale?"

The man, Derek, quirked an eyebrow, then took a step back. His arm fell away from his chest and Stiles immediately missed the warmth. "I am," he answered simply.

"Dude," Stiles exclaimed, moving off the fence. "Everyone in town thinks you're MIA, but you actually live up here and drive a kickass car."

Derek crossed his arms - and Stiles definitely didn't miss the way his thin Henley stretched over his biceps - and said, "You're new here, Stiles. How do you know what everyone thinks?"

"Cause it's a small town," Stiles answered with a shrug. "Wait, how do you know my name and that I'm new here?"

Derek raised his eyebrow again. "It's a small town."

Stiles grinned. "Touché."

The corner of Derek's mouth twitched, whether to grin back or scowl, Stiles couldn't be sure.  
"You never answered my question. What are you doing here?"

Stiles scuffed the dirt and shrugged a shoulder. "Um, last week I was kind of up here. Something interesting happened and I thought I'd come back to check it out."

Derek's impassive face turned into a slight scowl. "And what, exactly, was so interesting?"

"Well, uh, you see," Stiles didn't know how to say this without Derek thinking he was crazy. He rubbed a hand through his hair, then sighed, finally deciding to just go with the truth. "I climbed the fence last Saturday and I was looking at your car. I turned to leave but I was stopped by a pack of wolves. I seriously thought I wasn't gonna make it out of here."

"Wolves?" Derek questioned.

Stiles nodded.

"And, what? You just thought you'd come up here in the middle of the night and look for them?" Derek's scowl had morphed into full on anger.

"Yes?" Stiles hadn't meant for it to sound like a question.

"That's the stupidest, most idiotic thing I've ever heard," Derek shouted, arms dropping to his sides, hands curling into fists. "You could have been hurt."

"Yeah, but that's the thing," Stiles tried to sound reassuring. "The wolves didn't seem like they were going to hurt me. The black one even sniffed me!"

"It doesn't matter. There are other things up here that are dangerous, not just wolves."

"Like what?" Stiles challenged.

Derek just glared. "You need to leave and not come back up here again."

"Fine," Stiles threw his hands up. "I'm going. Don't have a hissy fit."

He turned around and put his hands on the fence to start climbing but stopped at the huff coming from behind him.

"Just use the damn gate. I don't need you falling and breaking your neck."

Stiles turned to see Derek pointing at the fence about twenty feet from them. Stiles walked over and found a gate with a rusty latch. After some careful - because tetanus wasn't something he needed at the moment - shoving, the latch opened and the gate squeaked open. "You should get some DW-40 for these hinges," Stiles teased.

Derek didn't look impressed.

"Alright, I'm going," he sighed as he stepped through the gate. It clanged shut behind him. Stiles got to the path and turned to see Derek's silhouette through the ivy on the fence, watching him leave. Stiles huffed then turned and continued down the path.

He made it home and crawled into bed. He tried to fall asleep, but his thoughts kept wandering to Derek. Stiles had known he was bisexual since he was sixteen; he had absolutely no problems admitting that he was attracted to the mysterious Hale. No, what kept him awake was the way the man's eyes had flashed blue, the same icy blue color as the wolf.

~

When Stiles got to school on Monday, he was grabbed by an excited Scott. "Come on! Finstock posted the team list."

Stiles smiled and let himself be pulled towards the coach's office. When they got there, a small knot of students were crowded around the door, some looking happy while others looked dejected. Stiles bounced on his feet, trying to see past the heads in front of him. "Come on, hurry up!"

They finally managed to push their way to the front of the crowd. Stiles scanned the list. He found his name second from the top, right under Jackson's name. "Yes!" he cried, throwing his hands in the air. Scott found his own name a second later and joined Stiles in celebration.

"Dude," Scott exclaimed. "You made co-captain!"

"What?" Stiles whipped his head back to the list. There, in small print, next to his name were the words "co-captain".

"Holy shit! How did that happen?"

Scott's smile was huge. "Finstock must have been impressed. We usually only have one captain. Jackson's gonna be pissed."

"What? Why?" Stiles looked at the list again and groaned. "Dammit. Of course Jackson is the other captain."

"It'll be fine," Scott reassured. "He'll get over it. Plus, look Isaac and Boyd made the team too! This season is gonna be awesome."

Stiles shook off the negative thoughts about Jackson and focused on the positive. "You're right. We're gonna have a blast."

~

The day went by quickly and Stiles soon found himself in English with Mr. Hale. As soon as he walked through the door, Mr. Hale's eyes found him. Instead of the normal smile he was greeted with, Stiles found that Mr. Hale looked angry, eyebrows furrowed in a scowl. He tried to ignore the way his teacher stared at him practically the whole period.

When the bell rang, Stiles gathered his things and made for the door but stopped when he heard a "Mr. Stilinski," behind him. With a small sigh, he told motioned for Scott and Allison to go on without him, then turned to face his teacher.

"Yes, Mr. Hale."

"Congratulations on making the team, Stiles," Mr. Hale's smile didn't reach his eyes.

"Thanks," Stiles replied, fidgeting with his backpack strap.

"And you made co-captain. That's excellent."

"Yeah, I was really surprised."

"Did you have a good weekend, Stiles?" Mr. Hale's smile stayed firm, but something about his eyes gave Stiles chills.

"Sure. Just spent time with my dad and Scott," Stiles was starting to feel nervous.

"You didn't go exploring Saturday night?" his teacher's smile took on a hard edge, his eyes giving away an underlying anger.

Stiles gulped. "Nope, just stayed at home."

Mr. Hale moved forward and placed a hand on Stiles' shoulder. He tried to suppress a shiver as the teacher said, "That's good. You don't want to wander around the woods. I wouldn't want you to get hurt."

"Um, yeah. Thanks. I'll keep that in mind," Stiles wanted nothing more than to bolt from the room. "I've got to get to practice now."

"Of course," Mr. Hale said, giving Stiles' shoulder a squeeze. "I'll see you tomorrow, Mr. Stilinski."

"Yeah, see ya," as soon as his shoulder was released Stiles all but ran from the room, trying to  
shake off the chill he felt from Mr. Hale.

~

The next two weeks flew by. Stiles kept busy with his school work and Lacrosse practice. Pretty soon, it was the first Wednesday in March and the first game of the season was on Friday.

They were at lunch, talking about how Finstock was acting crazier than usual, when Erica piped in, "It's because the full moon is tonight."

"Here we go again," Isaac groaned.

"Don't give me that," Erica snapped back. "The word lunatic is derived from the Latin lunaticus, which means 'of the moon' or 'moonstruck'."

They all stared at her like she'd grown an extra head. Erica heaved a long suffering sigh. "You know, even Aristotle believed the full moon could induce insanity in susceptible individuals."

"Right, well, full moon or not, Finstock is still acting crazy," Scott said.

They moved on, talking about the school they would be playing on Friday and before long, Stiles found himself in English, watching Mr. Hale prowl, that was really the only word for it, around his desk while the class worked on an essay. Every once in a while, the teachers eyes would find Stiles and stare at him with something like hunger on his face.

Stiles squirmed in his seat, fully freaked out. He jiggled his leg to help tamp down the desire to flee from the room. The second the bell rang, he shot out the door, ignoring the call of "Mr. Stilinski" behind him.

~

Practice that afternoon went horribly. Stiles was so wound up that he couldn’t focus and Finstock kept yelling at everyone and making them run suicides. By the time they were done and headed back to the locker room, Stiles felt like shit.

He slumped against his locker and shut his eyes, trying, and failing, to calm himself down. He flinched at the sound of Finstock’s office door slamming shut.

“It’s alright, buddy,” Scott’s voice said to his left. “We all have one of those practices.”

Stiles sighed and turned to face his friend. “Yeah, I know. I just feel bad I made the rest of you suffer.”

“It’s cool,” Isaac said from Stiles’ other side. “Some of us need the extra running. Right Boyd?”

The only answer they received was a heavy groan as Boyd lowered himself to the bench. Scott and Isaac laughed and Stiles cracked a small grin.

“Just be sure you’re focused on Friday,” Scott said once he stopped laughing.

“I will,” Stiles replied. “I’m not sure what my problem was today.”

“Must be the full moon,” Isaac said, mock seriousness in his tone.

That made them all laugh as they continued to change into their street clothes. They left the locker room together and made small talk on the way to the parking lot. Stiles said goodbye to the others as they all piled into Scott’s car. He climbed into his Jeep and thumped his forehead on the steering wheel, trying to take calming breathes.

He couldn’t figure out why he was so riled up and on edge. He hadn’t felt this bad in a long time, not since before he started playing Lacrosse. He heaved a sigh then started the car. Thirty minutes later, Stiles found himself opening the gate to the Hale House property.

“Hello?” he called out as the gate clanged shut behind him.

He noticed the Camaro parked in the same place it was last time, so he was expecting Derek to show up. What he got, instead, was the black wolf trotting out from the side of the house. His first instinct to run quickly dissipated as a feeling of calm washed over him. Stiles smiled as the wolf walked up to him, blue eyes gleaming in the afternoon sunlight.

“Hey there, buddy,” Stiles said while holding his hand out.

The wolf seemed to hesitate for a moment before it butted its muzzle against Stiles’ palm. He rubbed the wolf’s nose while his other hand came up to scratch its ear. The wolf made a pleased sort of sound before it leaned into his touch even more.

Stiles laughed and flopped onto the grass. The wolf huffed at the loss of contact then sat down next to him. It gave him a quizzical stare before lying down with its head in Stiles’ lap.

“You’re just a big softie, aren’t you?” Stiles said while scratching the wolf’s ears again.

The wolf sighed in contentment and Stiles smiled. He found himself talking to the wolf, telling it about his day. The wolf bristled when Stiles mentioned how creepy Mr. Hale had been but settled down when he quickly moved on to talk about how badly Lacrosse had gone.

By the time he was done talking, Stiles felt better than he had all day. The afternoon had grown chilly and he was grateful for the wolf’s warmth. They sat there in silence for some time until the sun starting setting. Just as it started to get dark, the wolf whined then stood. It seemed to stare at Stiles with something like sadness in its eyes before it turned and trotted towards the house.

“Hey,” Stiles shouted as he clambered to his feet. “Where are you going?”

The wolf whined again but didn’t stop. Stiles chased after it just as it disappeared around the corner of the house. He rounded the same corner but the wolf was nowhere to be seen. Instead he came face to face with Derek Hale.

Derek Hale who was just as ridiculously good looking as he was the first time he’d seen him, Derek Hale who didn’t look too happy at all.

“Um,” Stiles stammered as he took a few steps back. “Where’d the wolf go?”  
“Still on about the wolves?” Derek questioned with a scowl. “And I thought I told you to stay away from here.”

“Dude,” Stiles exclaimed, arms flailing. “You can’t talk me out of the wolves. I just sat here with ones head in my lap for an hour.”

Derek raised an eyebrow.

“I’m serious!”

“What are you doing here, Stiles?” Derek asked with a sigh as he stepped around the teen and headed towards the front yard.

“You remember my name,” Stiles all but shouted as he followed the retreating back.

“Of course I remember. How could I forget such a dumb name?” Derek threw a smirk over his shoulder.

Stiles stumbled as the look sent a jolt down his spine. “It’s just a nickname,” he grumbled.

“I know,” Derek answered, voice light. “Now come on.”

“Where are we going?” Stiles asked while trying to keep up with Derek’s long strides.

“I’m walking you to your Jeep and then you’re going home,” the man answered as he held the gate open for Stiles.

“What?! Why? I’m not some damsel in distress that need’s protection from the big bad wolf,” Stiles cried as he brushed passed Derek.

Derek barked out a laugh as the gate clanged shut.

Stiles pouted. “Why are you laughing at me? And was that even a laugh? It sounded like something a dog would do.”

Derek just shook his head, hint of a smile tugging at his lips, as he walked towards the path. Stiles caught up and fell in step with him. They made their way down the path mostly in silence. It didn’t feel awkward like most of the silences Stiles was used to. It felt comfortable. Night had truly fallen and Stiles stumbled a few times in the dark. Each time, Derek’s hand shot out and grabbed his arm to steady him, fingers warm through his sweater. Stiles tried to suppress a shudder when Derek’s fingers trailed down his arm before releasing him.

Finally they cleared the trees and Stiles’ Jeep came into view. Derek walked him all the way to the driver’s door where they stopped and stared at each other for a moment. Stiles cleared his throat.  
“Thanks, I guess. For walking me to my car.”

“I told you,” Derek replied, eyes intense. “It’s not safe out here. Especially tonight.”

“Why? Because of the full moon?” Stiles joked.

Derek leaned in close, face inches away from Stiles. “You have no idea,” he said, breath ghosting across Stiles mouth.

“No idea about what?” Stiles managed to choke out, trying to fight the blush rising up his neck.

Derek’s eyes flicked down to Stiles’ mouth before he leaned back out of his personal space. “Go home Stiles. And stay inside tonight.”

“I, uh. Okay,” he stammered out.

“Promise me,” Derek demanded. His eyes seemed to flash a bright blue.

“I promise,” Stiles said before he willed his body to turn around and climb into the Jeep.

Stiles’ hands shook as he started the car and watched as Derek walked around the Jeep to stand next to the path. Derek gave him a nod before he made a U-turn and headed back towards town. He watched Derek in the rearview mirror until he was out of sight.  
  
~

That night Stiles woke to the sound of howling coming from right outside his window. He climbed out of bed and, with slightly trembling hands, parted the blinds. There on his lawn, was a wolf. And it didn't look like any of the others he'd seen before. This one seemed to have brown fur and was smaller than the black wolf.

As if it sensed Stiles' gaze, the wolf looked up to the window and snarled, it's eyes flashing from pale blue to a dull red in the moonlight. Stiles squeaked and let the blinds snap shut as he stumbled back to his bed, heart racing. He could still hear the wolf growling outside his window.

"Holy god," he whispered, trying not to panic.

Stiles didn't know what to do. His dad was working the night shift and there was no way he was going to call the station to tell him about the wolf. He definitely didn't want to wake Scott up. To his surprise, what he really wanted to do was call Derek. Unfortunately, he didn't have his number, but just thinking about the elusive Hale made his heart rate slow, made him feel calmer.

"Which is just plain ridiculous," he huffed as he flopped back on his bed.

Stiles laid there for a few minutes, thoughts drifting to Derek, feeling completely at ease as the wolf continued to growl outside his window.

~

Thursday flew by and despite his lack of sleep, Stiles felt more energetic and focused than he had the day before. Even Mr. Hale's creepy staring couldn't bring him down. Practice went smoothly and everyone was in higher spirits than they were the day before. Stiles ended the day by eating dinner with his dad, something they hadn't been able to do for several weeks because of their busy schedules.

"You gonna come to the game tomorrow night?" Stiles asked with his mouth full of potatoes.

John rolled his eyes. "Of course I'm going to be there. It's your first game as co-captain."

Stiles grinned after swallowing the potatoes. "It's gonna be awesome!"

They ate in silence for a few minutes before Stiles asked, "How's work been?"

"A bit slow," his dad answered. "Although last night there were several reports of a wolf being seen around town."

Stiles choked on his Pepsi, eyes watering and lungs burning. His dad thumped him on the back several times before Stiles waved him off.

"I'm fine," he wheezed. "Near death experience, but I'm good."

John just laughed.

"I'm glad my pain brings you joy," Stiles grumbled.

His dad laughed harder and Stiles couldn't help the grin that spread over his face. John got distracted from anymore talk about wolves, which Stiles was seriously grateful for, as they finished their meal. They cleaned up together and John settled down to watch the news while Stiles headed up to his bedroom to finish his homework.

~

It was Friday morning and Stiles was starting to feel nervous. All morning people, most of whom he didn't even know, kept wishing him luck and he was finally starting to understand how important Lacrosse was to the school. It seemed like nearly everyone was wearing the school colors - red and white - and an energy seemed to fill the air as morning wore on to afternoon. At lunch, Stiles was quieter than usual, mind occupied with thoughts of the game.

"Earth to Stiles," Scott practically shouted in his ear halfway through the lunch hour.

"Huh?" Stiles jerked and turned to Scott.

"Dude, I've been saying your name for the past minute."

"Sorry," Stiles said sheepishly. "I guess I'm just getting kind of nervous."

"It's gonna be fine," Isaac reassured. "The team's been playing great during practice. We should have no problem tonight."

Stiles ran a hand through his hair. "I know. It's just my first time as a captain and I don't want to mess anything up."

Scott clapped him on the shoulder and gave him a little shake. "You'll do fine. Besides, don't tell Jackson, but I'm pretty sure most of the team likes you more than they like him."

Everyone laughed and Stiles felt some of the tension ease from his shoulders. They spent the rest of lunch laughing and getting excited for the game. Chemistry passed quickly and even Harris couldn't dim the cheerful mode.

As was becoming normal, Stiles approached their English classroom with trepidation, not knowing what to expect from Mr. Hale. The teacher was actually sitting at his desk, something unusual for him. He was slumped slightly and looked tired. He barely even stared at Stiles as he walked through the door. Whatever was wrong with Mr. Hale, Stiles wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. He smiled to himself as he joined Allison and Scott in their usual seats as the bell rang.

"You guys can have a free period today," Mr. Hale said, not rising from his chair. "Just keep the noise down."

Excited whispers broke out as everyone turned to start talking with each other. Scott leaned across the aisle and whispered, "What's up with Mr. Hale?"

"I have no idea," Stiles whispered back. "But he's not looking too good, is he?"

"He looks sick."

"Whatever it is, I don't really care," Stiles muttered.

"Dude," Scott exclaimed, voice rising. "That's kinda harsh."

Stiles shrugged. "The guy gives me serious creep vibes. Plus, no work. I don't see the problem here."

"I guess," Scott said, still eyeing Stiles strangely.

"Oh, come on," Stiles threw his hands up. "Don't harsh my mellow!"

Scott laughed and shook his head. "Alright, alright."

They spent the rest of the period talking about the game with Allison butting in every once in a while. When the bell rang, everyone rushed out of the room, excited voices raising in volume.

~

That night, Beacon Hills won their first Lacrosse game of the season, beating Highland High 3 to 1, with Stiles, Scott, and Jackson making the goals. The team headed back to the locker room, shouting in excitement. They piled into the locker room to change while Finstock went on about how great they played and how the season would be cream cheese.

The adrenaline from the game mixed with the congratulations from the team had Stiles feeling elated. He was surprised to find himself thinking the only way it could be any better was if he could share the experience with Derek. Stiles shook his head to clear the silly thought and focused on Scott saying they should go to the diner with the girls to celebrate. Boyd and Isaac agreed and they made plans to meet up in an hour. Stiles drove home, singing along to the radio, smile firmly fixed on his face. When he got home, his dad greeted him in the living room.

"You're mom would have been so proud of you," John said while giving him a hug.

Stiles felt a lump in his throat. "Thanks dad," he whispered.

They separated and smiled at each other, then Stiles headed upstairs to shower. Twenty minutes later he was heading back downstairs, clean and ready to go.

"I'm gonna go hang out at the diner," he said as he walked into the living room.

His dad turned away from the television. "Alright. Have fun."

"Will do," Stiles said with a salute.

"Oh, and Stiles?"

"Yeah dad?" Stiles said as he turned back around.

"Be careful," his dad's tone was serious. "There was another wolf sighting in town."

Stiles gave a slightly hysterical laugh. "It's not like I'm gonna actively go looking for wolves dad."

John gave his son a funny look. "I didn't say you would. I just want you to be careful."

Stiles gave a jerky nod. "I will dad. Don't worry."

"Ok. I'll see you in the morning."

"See ya."

Stiles tried to tell himself it wasn't a lie. Not really. He didn't go to the Hale House specifically looking for wolves. He just happened upon them, that's all. Or they happened upon him. He shuddered as he remembered the brown wolf outside his window.

~

The next month passed in a pleasant haze. The weather started warming up and it was raining less. The Lacrosse team won their next 6 games, making it the longest winning streak the school had ever seen, putting them in the bracket for the semi-finals.

Stiles spent his time doing school work, practicing, and hanging out with Scott and his friends. He also found himself at the Hale House several times a week. Sometimes it was just Stiles and the black wolf. He enjoyed the peace and calm he felt, sitting in the grass with _his_ wolf at his side. Other times, they would be joined by one of the other wolves Stiles had seen that very first night. They all seemed friendly enough, but his second favorite wolf had to be the one with a reddish brown coat. This wolf and the black wolf seemed the closest. They would chase each other around the yard, occasionally wrestling the other to the ground. Stiles would watch them with a fond smile and laugh when the victor would howl in triumph. It was a little disconcerting, sometimes, how calm and peaceful he felt around wolves.

But more often than not, Stiles found himself in the company of Derek. The first couple of times Stiles showed up and Derek was there, the older man would try and make him leave, tell him it wasn't safe, and act generally put out by his presence. But Stiles was nothing if not persistent and Derek seemed to cave a little more each time he saw Stiles until he eventually gave in and accepted the teen's company.

They would sit together in the grass, sometimes in silence, sometimes talking for several hours. At first, Derek was reluctant to say anything personal about himself. Those first few meetings, Stiles did most of the talking, chattering on about his old school, his favorite movies, video games he liked to play, and his mom. Derek would hum in agreement or ask for clarification here and there, but mostly he just watched Stiles with intense, focused eyes, taking in his features and movements as if he was memorizing every little detail.

Derek finally started opening up when Stiles brought up Lacrosse. He learned that Derek played when he was at Beacon Hills High. He'd been on varsity even though he was only a sophomore.

"Lacrosse helps with my ADHD," Stiles had offered.

Derek started talking more after that, about his favorite subjects in school, books he liked to read, and what music he liked. They discovered they both enjoyed the same music and comedies were their favorite genre of movie. Derek had hated Harris when he'd been in school and Stiles had wholeheartedly agreed. After several hours of near begging, Derek finally admitted his birthday was June 1st and that he was almost 24. The one topic they never talked about was Derek's family.

Stiles felt happier in that month then he could remember being since his mom had died.

~

In that month, Stiles started doing research. Wolves hadn't lived in Northern California for over 100 years. Wolves didn't have blue eyes, and they definitely didn't have blue eyes that flickered red. He couldn't help but start forming theories as to why there were currently eleven wolves in Beacon Hills, all with blue eyes.

~

It was mid April when Stiles jolted awake, mind reeling. There had been eleven Hales. He'd seen eleven different wolves in Beacon Hills. His stomach gave a painful lurch as he realized that he only ever saw Derek when it was dark out and that his black wolf would mysteriously disappear when the sun was setting. Derek and the wolf both had an uncannily similar way of staring at him while he talked. He felt the same calm and happiness in both their presence.

"What the hell am I even thinking here?" Stiles questioned out loud.

Was he seriously considering that Derek and the black wolf were one and the same? That was ridiculous, wasn't it? If he was, then what about the other 10 wolves? The police never found the bodies of the Hales...

"Nope," Stiles muttered. "Don't even go there."

Besides, nine Hales died in the fire and that would still leave ten wolves. But Mr. Hale... Eleven Hales, eleven wolves...

"Oh my god," Stiles exclaimed as he threw himself back down on the bed. "There's no way. Just stop."

No matter what he tried, Stiles couldn't go back to sleep.

~

The next morning, Stiles felt anxious and fidgety. He considered taking a double dose of Adderall, but decided against it, hoping his agitation would wear off. It didn't. His thoughts kept whirling around the Hales and Derek. He couldn't focus in class and by lunchtime his legs were jiggling and he was chewing his fingernails.

"Dude," Scott said, staring at him with some concern. "What is up with you today?"

Stiles pulled his thumbnail out of his mouth and turned to see all of his friends staring at him. "Um. I'm alright. Just a little on edge."

"A little?" Isaac asked, gently nudging Stiles' fidgeting leg under the table.

"You know," Erica pipped up. "It's probably because tonight's the-"

"If you say 'full moon'," Stiles interrupted. "I swear to God, I'm gonna scream."

Erica's mouth snapped shut and the other's all looked slightly shocked.

Stiles sighed and scrubbed a hand down his face. "Look, I'm sorry. I barely slept last night and I'm not having the best day."

"Maybe you should go home early? You know we don't have practice tonight," Scott finally said.

"You know, I think I will," Stiles said as he stood and grabbed his backpack. "I'm sorry Erica."

"It's ok," she replied with a smile. "Just go home and get some rest."

"I'll see you guys tomorrow."

They all waved goodbye and Stiles headed to the office to call his dad to excuse him for the rest of the day. John excused Stiles and told his son to go home and rest.

"I'm sorry I won't be home to check on you," his dad said over the phone.

"It's fine dad," Stiles said. "I know you have to work a double shift. I'll be fine."

"Just call me if you need anything."

"I will," Stiles reassured his dad. "I'll see you in the morning."

Stiles felt slightly bad about lying to his dad, but he had no intention of going home. Instead, he drove the familiar route to the Hale House. As soon as he was through the gate, the black wolf was there, whining and nudging at him, as though it was trying to shove Stiles back through the gate.

"Hey," Stiles said, pushing past the wolf and into the yard. "I'm not leaving."

Stiles sat on the grass, staring at the wolf. After a moment, the wolf sat in front of him with a huff. They sat there in silence, gazing at each other, before Stiles whispered, "Derek?"

The wolfs ears flicked up and its nosed twitched. Then it made a strangled sound and dropped its gaze, almost like it was ashamed.

"Holy shit," Stiles exclaimed, jumping to his feet. "Oh my God! Derek?"

The wolf raised its head, sad look in its eyes, and gave a jerky sort of nod.

Stiles felt his legs start to give and quickly sat down again. "Holy god," he whispered. The wolf, Derek, walked over to him and put his muzzle against Stiles' cheek, letting out a low whine.

Stiles raised a shaky hand and rubbed Derek's neck. "It's ok. I, uh. Just a little shocked here."

They sat there for a long time, Stiles' fingers tangled in Derek's fur. Finally, when the sun began setting, Derek nudged Stiles' cheek one more time before trotting back towards the house. Stiles didn't follow him. After a moment, Derek came back around the house, human once more.

Derek's approach was slow, almost weary. When he was close enough, Stiles could see that he looked sad. He sat several feet in front of Stiles, as if he was worried to come closer, like he might scare Stiles away.

"Dude," Stiles ran a hand through his hair. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm just, I don't know, more than a little surprised here. It's not every day you learn someone is a wolf by day and a man by night."

"I'm sorry," Derek replied, eyes downcast. "When did you figure it out?"

"Last night."

They were silent once more, both lost in thought. While they sat there, the wolf with the reddish fur trotted out from behind the house. It walked up to Derek and rested its head against his shoulder, as if it sensed his distress.

"Were you ever going to tell me?" Stiles finally whispered.

"Stiles, I," Derek sighed. "There's just some things that I can't tell you about."

"I thought we were friends."

Pain flared in Derek's eyes. "We are! Trust me, if I could tell you, I would. But, I just can't."

"Alright," Stiles said, voice resigned. "I understand. Can you change at will? Or is it an every night type of thing?"

"I can't-" Derek started.

"Tell me," Stiles finished. "I get it."

Silence descended once more. The wolf nudged its muzzle against Derek's shoulder and pawed at his leg. Stiles let out a small chuckle. Derek and the wolf stared at him.

"Let me guess," he said. "That's Laura."

Derek looked surprised and the wolfs ears perked up, tail wagging. "How did you know?"

"When you're a, Jesus, when you're a wolf, you guys play like siblings. And she's comforting you right now," Stiles explained.

Laura, and God that was weird, walked over to Stiles and licked him on the cheek.

"Laura!," Derek scowled, but Stiles just laughed and scratched her ear.

"One day, Derek Hale, you owe me the full story," Stiles grinned.

Derek gave a tentative smile back. "One day, I hope I can tell it to you."

"So, where's the rest of your family?" Stiles asked then laughed as Laura rolled onto her back, clearly wanting her belly rubbed.

Derek grimaced. "They're out hunting."

Stiles let that sink in. "Well, you should tell them to be careful. My dad said people are reporting seeing wolves around town."

"That's impossible," Derek said, eyebrows furrowing. "They don't leave the forest."

"Well, maybe it was that kind of creepy brown wolf. Whoever he is, I think he's gone rogue," Stiles was all mock seriousness.

"What do you mean?" Derek's face darkened.

"Well, you see," Stiles didn't like the look on Derek's face. "It was growling outside my window one night."

"What?" Derek jumped to his feet. "When?"

Stiles climbed to his feet as well. "Um, the last full moon."

"Why didn't you tell me?" the older man was suddenly much closer.

"Oh, I don't know Derek," Stiles threw his hands up. "Maybe cause I didn't know you were a fucking werewolf at the time."

Derek flinched and took a step back. "Sorry, I just want you to be safe."

"Well, I'd feel a lot safer if whoever that was would stay away from my house," Stiles replied. Then quickly added, "No offence to your family or anything."

Derek's lips twitched. "It's fine. He's not a well liked member of the family." Laura made a noise that sounded like agreement.

And then it clicked for Stiles. "Holy shit! That's Peter, isn't it?"

Laura growled at the name and Derek scowled. "Oh my god," Stiles exclaimed. "It totally is. Dude, your uncle is way creepy ok. He freaks me out at school and this little tidbit of information isn't helping at all."

Derek was in his personal space again, concern coloring his features. "Stiles, you need to stay away from him."

"Trust me," Stiles replied. "Short of not going to class, I avoid him as much as possible."

"Good," Derek's eyes racked over Stiles' face before he stepped back again. "It's getting late. You should probably get home."

"Alright. You gonna walk me to my car again?" the teen gave a cheeky grin.

Derek snorted. "Yes, come on." They walked to the gate with Laura on their heels.

"So, I have some werewolf related questions," Stiles said once they reached the path.

"I'm sure you do."

"Do you have like, awesome super senses when you aren't a wolf?"

"Like what?" amusement laced Derek's voice.

"Like, I don't know. Can you hear my heartbeat?"

Derek stopped and turned to face Stiles, eyes doing a once over. Stiles felt his heart speed up and Derek smirked. "Maybe."

"Fuck," Stiles muttered under his breath after Derek had started walking again.

"I heard that," he called over his shoulder.

"That's not fair," Stiles cried as he caught up with Derek. "You can't use your super senses on me."

"I can't just turn them off, Stiles."

The teen pouted and Derek laughed nudging Stiles with his elbow. Stiles grinned and shoved Derek back. Laura yipped and tried to shove her way between them. Stiles laughed as Derek gave her head a pat then pushed her back behind them.

"You know, you're handling this remarkably well," Derek said after a moment.

"Are you kidding me?" Stiles flailed. "You can turn into a wolf. That's seriously badass."

Derek snorted and side-eyed him.

"Ok, if you must know," Stiles sighed. "I was kind of freaking out this morning. But, I'm good now."

"Good."

Once again, Derek walked Stiles all the way to the driver's side door of the Jeep. As they turned to face each other, Derek said, "Give me your phone."

Without hesitation, Stiles pulled his cell from his pocket, unlocked it, and handed it over. Derek fiddled with it for a moment before handing it back. Stiles stared at the screen and saw Derek's cell number in his contacts.

"In case you get in trouble," Derek explained. "Or, you know, just whenever."

Stiles grinned and tried not to blush. "Thanks. Look, I know this is gonna be anticlimactic after the whole 'you're a werewolf' business', but my birthday's next Saturday, the 27th. My dad's throwing a small party. You should come."

Derek smiled and Stiles felt his stomach swoop. "We'll see."

"Ok, well, I guess I'll see you later," Stiles opened the car door but stopped and turned when Derek's fingers closed around his wrist.

"Stiles, just," Derek was standing close again. "Just stay away from Peter."

"I will," Stiles said.

"And promise me you'll call me if he shows up at your house again," Derek's eyes flashed blue in the moonlight.

"Oh, believe me, I will."

"Alright," Derek's fingers slide away from Stiles' wrist, trailing heat in their wake. "Goodnight Stiles."

"Goodnight Derek," Stiles returned before climbing into the Jeep.

Derek and Laura walked over to the path and watched as Stiles headed back towards town.

~

Stiles slept like a rock that night, exhausted from the night before and the day's revelations. His sleep was so deep that he never heard the low growls outside his bedroom window.

~

The next day at lunch, his friends kept giving Stiles strange looks. Finally he cracked. "Ok, guys. What gives?" he asked. "Do I have something on my face?"

Boyd snorted as Isaac said, "Yeah, just the doppiest grin I've ever seen."

The others laughed as Stiles blushed.

"Whatever," he said with a wave of his hand. "I'm allowed to smile."

"You sure are buddy," Scott replied. "You're just totally opposite of what you were yesterday. What happened after you left school?"

"Um, nothing," Stiles was a crappy liar. "I got a lot of sleep last night?"

"Okay," Erica said, drawing out the vowels.

"Anyway, you guys are coming to my place next Saturday, right?" Stiles changed the subject.

"Of course! We wouldn't miss your birthday," Allison said.

"Great, well, um," Stiles stammered. "Just so you know, Derek Hale might come."

There was a stunned silence for a moment before they all started talking at once. "Explain, please," Erica finally shouted over the others.

"I'm kind of friends with Derek Hale? And I maybe invited him to my birthday?"

"What do you mean, you're friends with Derek Hale?" Scott exclaimed.

"I meet him back in February and we're friends now?" Stiles was really going to stop talking in questions.

"Cause that answers everything," Isaac said.

"Ok, look. I got curious about the Hale House after you guys told me about what happened," Stiles explained. "I went up there one night and meet Derek. We've kind of been hanging out since."

"Alright. So, you're friends with the town recluse and you invited him to your birthday," Boyd stated.

"Yes?"

"Ok then," Boyd picked his sandwich back up.

"Just like that?" Erica turned to Boyd with an incredulous stare.

"Yep. The dude was probably lonely. I bet he needed a friend. I don't see the problem here."

"Right," Isaac agreed. "You guys ready for the game tomorrow?"

Stiles sighed in relief as the conversation moved on to Lacrosse. Now all he had to do was worry about telling his dad that he was friends with an almost 24 year-old who he may or may not be crushing on. Just peachy.

~

English that afternoon was it's own special brand of hell. Mr. Hale was downright glaring at Stiles almost the entire period. And he wasn't being subtle about it, if the way Scott kept shooting him curious glances was any indication. He wished now, more than ever, that Derek could tell him what was going on with Peter Hale.

~

The following week passed in a blur. They won their game, moving them to the finals. Finstock was absolutely beside himself with glee. Mr. Hale continued glaring at Stiles during class. It was getting to the point where other students were starting to notice as well. ("What the hell did you do to piss Hale off, Stilinski?" Jackson sneered one afternoon after practice. )

Stiles didn't even get a chance to see Derek that week, too busy with practice and mid-terms. They texted several nights while Stiles was doing homework, silly random things that made Stiles smile and laugh. (" _Can you smell fear?" "Among other things ;)_ ") But, it just wasn't the same.

All in all, Stiles was more than ready for Saturday night's party. He woke that morning to the smell of blueberry pancakes, his favorite breakfast. He grinned and and stretched then headed to the kitchen. He laughed at the sight of his dad in an apron, flour across one cheek and kitchen in complete disarray. John turned at the sound and smiled at his son.

"Happy Birthday, Stiles," he said while flipping a pancake. "How does it feel to be 18?

"I'm not sure, but I'll let you know after I buy some cigarettes and gamble away my savings on lottery tickets," Stiles laughed when his father turned to glare at him.

"Get your legal ass over here and help me," John said with a laugh.

Stiles helped his dad finish the pancakes and they ate breakfast together, sharing memories of birthday's past. He felt a pang, like he always did, that his mother wasn't there to share this moment with them. While they were cleaning up, Stiles decided he'd better bring Derek up.

"So, dad," he started. "Do you know anything about the Hales?"

"Yes," John replied. "I've seen the file."

Stiles nodded. "Ok, well, I'm kind of, sort of, maybe friends with Derek Hale."

His dad stopped washing the plate in his hand and turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "Really? That's good, I guess. Boy's had a rough past. I'm sure he could use friends."

Stiles sagged in relief. "Cool, cause I invited him tonight. I'm not sure if he'll come, but I just wanted to give you a heads up."

"Alright," his dad's eyebrow was still raised. "You sure you're not more than friends? Because you know I wouldn't have approved before, but your 18 now, so it would be fine, you know, if you were more than friends."

"Oh my god, dad," Stiles exclaimed, face burning. "We're just friends."

"Don't have a hissy fit, son," John said with a laugh.

After on of the more embarrassing conversations of his life, they watched both _Iron Man_ movies and _The Avengers_ , some of Stiles' favorites. Around four, Stiles went to get cleaned up while his dad started setting things out for the party. He was feeling a little apprehensive that he hadn't heard from Derek all day. After showering and changing, he still didn't have any texts. With a sigh, he shoved his phone in his pocket then headed downstairs.

Naturally, the first person to arrive was Scott, with Allison in tow. Erica, Boyd, and Isaac arrived shortly after and John fired up the grill. They all stood around, drinking soda and laughing as the smell of hamburgers wafted around them. The sun had set and the night air was getting a bit chilly by the time John was pulling the burgers off the grill.

They all moved inside and sat around the table to eat. They continued talking and laughing as dishes were passed across the table and everyone started. Stiles couldn't help the smile that took over his face as he looked around at his new friends, people he was starting to consider family.

When everyone was stuffed, they moved into the living room to open presents. Just as he was about to sit down, the doorbell rang. Stiles heart jumped as he said, "I'll get it. And please don't act weird."

"No one's as weird as you, Stiles," Erica said with a smile.

Stiles flipped her off then ran for the door. He paused with his hand on the knob and took a deep breath before opening it. He smiled when he saw Derek standing on the other side, illuminated by the porch light. Derek smiled back

"You made it," Stiles said, eyes raking in Derek's tight grey Henley and black jeans. When he tore his gaze back to Derek's face, the older man was smirking.

"You going to invite me in or stand there staring at me all night?"

Stiles felt the blush spreading up his neck. "Uh, yeah. Come on in."

Derek chuckled as he brushed past Stiles into the house. Stiles shut the door then turned to Derek with a slight grimace. "I'm apologizing in advance for my friends. They're probably going to act really weird."

Derek shrugged. "I'm used to it."

They made their way to the living room were Stiles made introductions. While Derek was shaking Scott's hand, John made a thumbs up sign behind his back. Stiles groaned and face palmed. Erica and Allison both looked flustered when Derek shook their hands. Stiles laughed as Scott pouted.

After the introductions, everyone sat back down and Stiles found himself squished on the couch between his dad and Derek. While opening presents, he was very aware of every point of contact his body made with Derek's. Stiles had to force himself to focus on his presents.

His dad got him a new cell phone. Scott, Boyd, and Isaac had gone in together and got him a new pair of Lacrosse gloves. Allison gave him an album of pictures she'd taken of him playing Lacrosse. Everyone laughed and Derek snorted when he opened the lunar calender from Erica.

Derek grinned sheepishly and said, "I forgot your present up at the house. You can come get it tomorrow, if you want."

"Yeah, sure," Stiles replied with a grin.

After that, John brought out a cake and they all sang "Happy Birthday". Stiles blew out the candles and Erica and Allison volunteered to cut the cake in the kitchen.

"Think you'll be alright if I leave you alone?" Stiles whispered to Derek.

"I'm sure I'll manage," Derek whispered back.

Stiles laughed and went to join the girls in the kitchen. As he walked in, Erica grabbed his arm in a vice-like grip. "Oh my god, you asshole. You didn't tell us that he was stupidly hot," she said in a low voice. Stiles tried not to laugh, knowing Derek probably heard that.

"Is he? I hadn't noticed," he said while shaking Erica's hands off his arm.

"Don't play dumb," Allison said, welding the knife in her hand. "It's not a cute look on you. Now come help me serve up this cake."

Erica kept up a running commentary on all of Derek's finer attributes while Allison cut the cake and Stiles put the slices on plates. She finally stopped her littany of words when they returned to the living room loaded down with plates.

Derek had a slight smirk on his face as he was talking to Scott about Lacrosse. Stiles suppressed a laugh as he plopped back down between his dad and Derek.

"So, Derek," Scott said once everyone had started in on the cake. "Are you gonna come to the game on May 10th? It's the final game of the playoffs."

"I wasn't aware you guys had even made the playoffs," Derek replied, giving Stiles a pointed stare.

"It was kind of a crazy week and I may have forgot to mention it?" Stiles tried.

"You did have kind of a weird week, didn't you?" Isaac said. "What with the not feeling well and Mr. Hale giving you the stink eye all week."

Stiles felt Derek stiffen beside him.

"Sorry," Isaac all but shouted. "No offense to your uncle or anything."

"It's alright," Derek said with a smile Stiles could tell was slightly strained. "He has his odd moments."

An uncomfortable silence fell until Erica slapped the back of Isaac's head and whispered, "Way to make things awkward." Everyone laughed and most of the tension eased out of the room.

They all hung out talking for several hours before everyone started trickling out until Derek was the last one there.

"Well," John said, standing up. "I'm gonna head up to bed."

Derek and Stiles stood up as well. John hugged Stiles and told him Happy Birthday one last time before he turned to Derek.

"It was nice to meet you Derek," he said while shaking Derek's hand again.

"Likewise, Sheriff," Derek replied.

"Please, call me John."

"Sure thing," Derek said with a smile.

After John had left the living room, Derek turned to Stiles. "I should probably get going too."

"Right, sure," Stiles said. "I'll walk you out."

"Good," Derek grinned. "Because I've got your present in my car."

"Really?"

"Yes, really," Derek laughed as he opened the front door. "I just didn't want to give it to you in front of the others."

"What is it?" Stiles asked as Derek opened the passenger door of his Camaro.

"Here, see for yourself," Derek said, handing Stiles a thin package wrapped in plain blue paper.

Stiles smile and tore off the paper to reveal a picture frame. He angled the glass towards the porch light and felt his breath catch in his throat when he saw the photograph. It was the Hale family, gathered in front of their home, smiling for the camera. Derek moved around so he was standing behind Stiles, his left hand came up to rest on his shoulder while his right arm wrapped around him to point at the picture.

In a soft voice, Derek began introducing Stiles to his family. "That's my Aunt Karen and Uncle Darren with their daughter Rose," he said while point out a man with his arm wrapped around a pretty woman and small girl on his shoulders. "And these are my parents, James and Alicia," Derek said fondly, pointing out the other couple, the woman's face alight with laughter while the man kissed her cheek. "And these are my siblings," he pointed out the group of kids surrounding a younger version of Derek. "That's Laura, Benji, Sarah, and Ashley."

"Where's Peter?" Stiles choked out.

Derek's hand tightened on his shoulder. "This was taken the day before the fire. Peter wasn't there."

Stiles turned quickly and threw his arms around Derek's neck, picture gripped tightly in his hand. "Thank you," he whispered. "Thank you for sharing this with me."

Derek's arms wrapped around Stiles and held him tight. "I wanted you to see what they were like, before-" his voice cut off as his breath hitched in his chest.

Stiles tightened his arms as Derek's shoulders shook.

~

Stiles spent the next two weeks working his ass off on the Lacrosse field, sending out graduation announcements, doing homework, and finalizing his plans for college. Back in the fall, when he'd learned that they were moving, Stiles had decided to apply to colleges in Northern California so he could be closer to his dad. He was accepted to several schools and Stiles decided to attend Humboldt State University. It was a half hour drive from Beacon Hills so he would be able to come home on the weekends.

Unfortunately, he was so busy, he didn't have time to go visit Derek and the werewolf didn't want to distract Stiles from his school work so he refused to come into town to visit. That didn't stop Stiles from calling Derek whenever he got the chance.

On the evening he was filling out graduation announcements, Stiles was sitting on his bed, surrounded by paper and envelopes. His phone was in his lap on speaker so he could talk to Derek while writing his name and address on envelopes.

"So, question time," Stiles said, shaking out his writing hand.

 _"It's always question time with you,_ " Derek's voice was amused.

"What can I say? I'm curious by nature."

Derek laughed and Stiles could imagine his eye roll.

_"Question away."_

"Alright, so, wolves mate for life, right?"

_"I'm not sure I want to know where you're going with this."_

"Sure you do. So, do werewolves?"

_"Do werewolves what?"_

"Mate for life. You know, have one person or I guess werewolf, that they mate with for life."

_"God, Stiles. Have you been researching on the internet again?"_

"No! Ok, maybe."

Stiles could hear Derek's huff of amusement.

_"Didn't I tell you not to believe everything you read on the internet?"_

"Yes, but I told you, I was curious."

_"Alright, look. We do have mates, but it's not like a sex thing. I mean, there is sex, but it's more than that. It's like finding the one person you were meant to spend the rest of your life with, your other half."_

Stiles let that sink in for a few minutes, hand stilling, causing an ink blob to stain the envelope he was currently addressing.

_"You still there?"_

"Yeah, sorry. I was just thinking. So it's like finding your one true love?"

_"Kind of."_

"Do all werewolves find their mates?"

_"Not always, but that doesn't mean we can't love someone else."_

"Were your parents mates?"

_"Yes. My aunt and uncle weren't but they still love each other."_

"Do you have a mate? I mean, have you found yours?"

The line was silent for what felt like hours.

"Sorry, that was probably too personal."

_"No, it's fine. I have a mate, I just-"_

"It's one of those things you can't talk about?"

_"Yes, I'm sorry."_

"It's fine."

Stiles tried to ignore the clench in his chest at the thought of Derek with someone else.

_"I should let you go so you can finish those announcements."_

"Right, sure. You still coming to the game on Friday?"

_"I'll be there."_

"Great! Cause I miss your face."

Stiles immediately wanted to brain himself on his desk.

_"I miss your face too."_

Derek's voice sounded soft, almost fond.

"That's um, that's good."

_"Goodnight, Stiles."_

"Goodnight, Derek."

~

During those two weeks, Mr. Hale got increasingly agitated and angry. He was snapping and glaring at everyone, not just Stiles. He assigned work that was near impossible to complete on time. His clothes were wrinkled and his hair was in disarray. To everyone else, he probably just looked a mess, but to Stiles, he looked feral, especially when his eyes flashed that dull red.

~

When the final bell rang on the Friday of the playoff finals, everyone practically ran from Mr. Hale's room, more than ready to be away from his surly attitude. The team headed out to the field to get in some last minute practice before the game started at 6:00pm. They went back to the locker room at 4:30 to cool off and listen to Coach Finstock's "inspirational" pre-game speech.

The team made their way back onto the field at 5:30 and were met with thunderous applause and cheers from the stands. Stiles knew it was still to early, the sun was still up, but he couldn't stop himself from scanning the stands for Derek. He found his dad sitting next to Melissa McCall, Scott's mom, and smiled when John laughed at something she said.

"Dude," Stiles said, elbowing Scott in the ribs. "Look."

Scott followed Stiles' gaze and his face lit up when he saw their parents. "Oh my god! They should totally date!"

Stiles laughed and said, "Yeah, that'd be good for them."

Scott's eyes widened. "If they got married, we would totally be brothers."

Stiles snorted. "They need to go on a date first."

The ref gave them a five minute warning just as the sun set. Right before he stepped onto the field, Stiles glanced around for Derek one more time, but didn't see him. He tried not to feel disappointed and keep his focus on the game.

The game started and all thoughts of Derek practically flew from his mind. The team they were playing was good, great even. Before he knew it, the first quarter was over and they were down, 2:1. Stiles rested his hands on his knees, trying to regain his breath before the next quarter started.

"Come on, Stilinski," Jackson said, thumping his back in a rare moment of companionship. "We can turn this around."

Stiles straightened up and said, "Yeah, let's do this."

He tried to catch a glimpse of Derek before the game resumed, but didn't have enough time. The second quarter didn't go much better. They played hard and managed to score, but so did the other team, putting them at 3:2. The team trudged to the locker room for half time. Everyone slumped onto the benches.

"What's the matter with you guys?" Finstock yelled. "Greenberg, pay attention. We're only down by one point and you guys are acting like we've already been beaten."

"Coach is right," Stiles said as he stood up. "We're undefeated! We haven't come all this way for nothing."

Jackson stood too. "As much as it pains me to say this, Stilinski's right." Some of the players laughed. "We've been working all season for this one game."

"So, let's get out there," Stiles exclaimed. "And kick some ass!"

The team shouted in agreement and rushed to their feet, excitement in their voices as they made their way back out to the field.

"Good job, co-captain," Scott smiled and threw his arm around Stiles' shoulders.

"Why thank you, my little peon," Stiles said, all mock seriousness.

Scott laughed and shoved him in the arm before running onto the field. Stiles ran after him but stopped when he finally spotted Derek, standing at the end of the bleachers. Derek saw him and gave a small wave. Stiles felt his heart thump and blushed as Derek's smile turned into a smirk. He just laughed and waved back before taking his place on the field.

The second half started with Jackson scoring in the first minute. They played hard but the other team came back with a goal right before the third quarter ended, bringing the score to 4:3. Stiles caught sight of Derek's encouraging thumbs up right before the fourth quarter started. He felt a sense of calm wash over him.

Stiles scored right off the bat, tying the game. Neither team scored for the next ten minutes. When the game clock had 30 seconds left, Finstock called their last time out. The team gathered on the side line as their coach tried to say something encouraging. When their time out was up, the team rushed back onto the field.

Stiles knew this was it, he had to score on this play or they would go into over time. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, feeling that sense of calm come over him once again. The ref dropped the ball then blew the whistle. Stiles surged forward as the sounds of the crowd dimmed and everything seemed to move in slow motion as he scooped up the ball and ran towards the goal. He dodged every player, moving with a speed he hadn't known he possessed. Stiles got to the end of the field and threw the ball. He knew, before the ball even passed the goalie, that he'd scored and all at once the volume came back up and everything returned to normal speed.

Stiles threw his arms in the air in triumph as the final buzzer sounded and the crowd erupted. He was engulfed by screaming teammates in seconds, but he fought free from them, as he pulled his gloves off. He dropped them on the bench along with his helmet, passed his dad enthusiastically hugging Melissa, and jogged the short distance to the one person he wanted to celebrate with.

Stiles all but threw himself into Derek's waiting arms. He was sweaty and probably stank to high hell but he didn't care as Derek's arms tightened around him.

"Congratulations," Derek whispered in his ear.

Stiles buried his smile into the crook of Derek's neck, feeling like he was exactly where he belonged.

~

They were so wrapped up in each other that Derek and Stiles missed the murderous gaze directed their way.

~

After they became state champions, everything started to move quickly. It was mid-May before he knew it and Stiles was buried in homework and study guides for finals. He still didn't have time to visit Derek, which was disheartening, considering Stiles now knew exactly what it was that he felt for the werewolf.

He'd had crushes before, and he knew he was so far beyond that point in his feelings. He didn't want to use the L-word yet, but Stiles was sure that's what he felt. He could even pinpoint the moment it had happened: the night of his 18th birthday. The night Derek Hale had trusted him enough to show Stiles his most vulnerable side.

He wasn't sure what to do now that he was willing to admit his feelings were more than a crush. Stiles didn't know how Derek felt about him and there was the whole part about mates. Derek had said he had a mate but that was all Stiles knew. He didn't want to imagine Derek with someone else, someone other than him.

So, he tried to keep his feelings at bay, to focus on being Derek's friend and passing all his classes.

~

It was the Thursday before Graduation and Stiles was about ready to scream.

"And Harris was a complete asshole to me," he ranted into the phone. "I got detention for absolutely no reason."

Derek huffed on the other line. _"_ _Are you sure there was no reason?"_

"Well, I may have whispered to Scott. But that's still no reason to give me detention! And then English was complete torture. I swear to God, your uncle is crazy."

 _"What did he do?"_ Derek's voice went serious.

"Nothing. I mean, other then act like a maniac. He made a girl cry! And he looks like a feral dog, I'm not kidding."

Stiles flopped onto his bed, listening to Derek's quiet breathing.

"Is he acting like this because tonight's the full moon? God, I sound like Erica."

_"I can't really say. I wish I could, but I can't."_

"I know, I know."

_"Be sure to stay inside tonight."_

"I will."

_"And call me if anything weird happens."_

"I know, I will."

They sat in silence for a moment, Stiles enjoying the calming sound of Derek's breathing.

"I guess I should go now. I have to finish the impossible essay your jerk uncle assigned."

_"Good luck with that."_

"Thanks for the sympathy, dude."

Derek gave a quiet chuckle.

_"Goodnight, Stiles."_

"Goodnight, Derek."

~

Stiles fell asleep that night at his computer desk, face mashed against the pages of his Chemistry book. He didn't hear the growls outside his window, or the claws scratching across the glass.

~

The week flew by in a blur of late nights, copious amounts of coffee, and school work induced headaches. But it was all worth it when Stiles, Scott, and Allison stepped out of Mr. Hale's nightmare of a final on the last day of school.

"Sweet freedom," Scott cried, arms in the air.

Stiles and Allison laughed as they walked down the hall.

"Can you believe it's over?" Allison asked.

"Nope," Stiles replied. "This semester went by crazy fast."

"I know, right?" Scott agreed. "And now we're graduating tomorrow. It's weird. Hey, do you want to hang out tonight?"

"Sorry," Stiles said. "I'm hanging out with my dad tonight cause he has to work tomorrow night."

"That's cool, dude," his friend replied. "We'll see you in the morning."

"Yeah, see ya," Stiles waved goodbye and headed to empty out his locker.

Graduation would be held in the morning in the school's auditorium. Derek couldn't seem to apologize enough that he couldn't be there. Stiles kept reassuring him that it was fine and instead tried to talk to him about his birthday on Saturday. Derek insisted he didn't want to do anything, he actually sounded rather sad that it was his birthday. Stiles couldn't figure out why, but he was determined to do something for the sourwolf.

Stiles and his dad had take-out that night while they marathoned _Firefly_. Friday morning found Stiles fidgeting with the tie around his neck. He couldn't get the knot right. He finally threw his hands up in frustration and went to find his dad. John chuckled at Stiles' attempt before redoing the knot perfectly.

"I wish your mom was here to see you today," John said, eyes glistening as he smoothed the tie down.

"Me too," Stiles said, pulling his dad into a hug.

"I'm so proud of you, son," John whispered, voice thick with emotion.

"Thanks dad," Stiles whispered back.

~

Two hours later and Stiles was standing in front of Beacon Hills High School, holding his diploma and having his picture taken with Scott. Pretty soon, Allison, Isaac, Erica, and Boyd joined them and they were all laughing and making faces as their parents took pictures.

"Alright," Stiles finally cried. "I can't see anything!"

They all hugged each other and made plans to met at Scott's to hang out and celebrate for the rest of the afternoon. The first thing Stiles did when got home was take a picture of his diploma with his phone. Then he texted it to Derek.

 _"Congratulations"_ came Derek's simple reply after Stiles had changed into jeans and a t-shirt. Thinking Derek was still upset about missing graduation, Stiles typed back _"Thnx :)_ " before heading over to Scott's.

They all wasted the afternoon and most of the night at Scott's. Only when Melissa got home from work at 11:00 did they all start leaving. Stiles had started to feel antsy about an hour before that and as he climbed into the Jeep, it felt like there was an itch under his skin that he couldn't scratch. He felt like something was wrong, but he didn't know what.

He drove around aimlessly for several minutes before he found himself driving towards Derek's. The sense of wrongness continued to grow the closer he got to the Hale's. By the time he pulled up to the path, he was in a near panic. He ran up the path as fast as he could, stumbling a few times along the way.

As soon as he cleared the trees, he started yelling Derek's name. He knew the werewolf could hear him and he should have met Stiles. But no reply came. Stiles crashed through the gate and felt his stomach drop.

Derek was sprawled on his back, eyes closed and chest heaving. He was pale in the moonlight and his skin glistened with sweat.

"Derek," Stiles yelled as he dropped to his knees at the werewolf's side.

Derek groaned and his eyes opened slowly. "Stiles?" he asked, voice weak.

"It's me. I'm here," Stiles put his hand to Derek's cheek and gasped at how hot it was. "What happened? Are you alright."

His eyes flickered shut and he groaned again as his body twitched.

"Please, Derek," Stiles cried in desperation. "Tell me what's wrong."

The werewolf's body stopped twitching, but he didn't open his eyes again.

"Laura!" Stiles screamed. "Where are you guys?"

"They can't hear you," a voice said behind him.

Stiles whirled around and nearly screamed when he saw Peter Hale towering over him. "What are you doing here? What's happened to Derek?"

Peter crouched down so he was eye level with Stiles. "I'm afraid he's dying." His smile was feral and his eyes were the same dull red Stiles had seen before.

"What did you do to him?" Stiles turned back to see Derek's chest rising and falling at a slower pace than it had been.

"Do you want to hear a story, Stiles?" Peter asked as he circled around them.

"No! I want you to tell me what you did," Stiles could feel the moisture in his eyes as he yelled.

"But that's all part of the story."

Stiles grabbed Derek's hand, when there was no response, a small sob escaped his throat. "Fine," he chocked out. "Tell your story."

"Once upon a time," Peter began, stopping in front of Stiles. "There was a family of werewolves. They all lived in a big house together. And everyone was happy, everyone that is, but Peter. You see, Peter's brother James was The Alpha, the leader of the pack. He was more powerful than Peter could ever hope to be. And that power, the mantel of The Alpha, was pass on to James' eldest son Derek on the boy's 24th birthday. But Peter wanted that power for himself. Do you know Peter did then, Stiles?"

"No," Stiles whispered as Derek groaned again, fingers twitching in his grasp.

Peter grinned, teeth shinning in the moonlight. "He found himself a witch."

Stiles' eyes snapped up. "A witch?"

"Yes," Peter said. "A witch that agreed to put a curse on the Hale family. This curse would bind the Hales in their wolf forms for nine years. The curse came with certain stipulations, as most curses do. Derek, my dear, sweet Derek, would be a wolf by day and a man by night. He wouldn't be able to breathe a word of the curse to another living soul. And for nine years, he would have time to seek out a way to break the curse."

"What's the cure?" Stiles asked, knowing that whatever was happening to Derek, he didn't have much time left.

"I'm getting there," Peter snapped as he resumed circling them. "Now, Peter had to stage everything perfectly. He had to start the fire the night the curse took effect. The night of Derek's 15th birthday. He had to make sure he had an alibi out of town. It wasn't easy, but Peter pulled it off without a hitch. The Hale family were turned into their wolves and fled for the forest as their house went up in flames. Poor Derek. He had no idea what was happening. But Derek was smart, smarter than Peter gave him credit for. Derek didn't trust his uncle, never had. Perhaps Derek always suspected Peter lusted for power. Whatever the case, Derek was resourceful and tracked down the witch. He payed her a hefty sum of his families life insurance in return for the information about the curse."

Peter stopped walking and stared down at Derek with disgust. "Stupid boy, couldn't leave well enough alone," he sneered.

"But what's the cure?" Stiles yelled.

"What's the most common cure to a curse, my dear boy?"

Stiles stared at Peter in confusion, mind trying to come up with the answer.

Peter crouched in front of him again, eyes a brighter red then before. "Love. It's always love, isn't it. But not just any love. You see, Derek had to find his mate. If Derek could find his mate, if Derek's mate loved him back, if Derek's mate made their love known by midnight on the eve of his 24th birthday, the curse would be broken. In January, I thought I was home free, for Derek had yet to find his mate. But then you came along."

Stiles gasped as Peter dropped to his hands and leaned over Derek, putting his face inches away from Stiles' face. "You came along. You came along and ruined everything," the last word was roared and Stiles stumbled back, hand still clenching Derek's tightly.

Peter leaned back, thoughtful expression on his face. "Perhaps not, though. For it looks like you're too late." Stiles followed Peter's gaze and saw that Derek's chest was no longer moving.

"No," Stiles shouted, moving back to Derek's side.

"Oh yes," Peter smirked as he stood.

That's when Stiles heard the howls starting up inside the house. "Even they know. It's too late."

"No," Stiles cried, moving to cradle Derek's head in his lap. "No, Derek please! You have to wake up."

Peter laughed as he walked away.

"Derek," Stiles whispered, resting his forehead against the werewolf's, tears streaming down his face. "Please, Derek. I never got to tell you. I'm so sorry, I should have told you sooner. Derek, you have to wake up. Please. I'm in love with you and I need you to wake up." He choked out the last word as he began to sob.

Peter laughed again, voice coming from a distance. "I told you it was too late."

Stiles cried out and moved to chase after Peter but stopped when he heard Derek draw in a wheezing breath."Derek?" Stiles whispered and the werewolf took in another breath.

"Say it again," Derek managed to rasp out, eyes fluttering open.

Stiles gave a watery laugh. "I'm in love with you."

Derek's answering smile lit up his face as his eyes glowed a brilliant red.

Then several things happened at once. Peter screamed in agony as he fell to the ground. The front door of the Hale House burst open and nine very angry humans stormed out. And Derek sat up and pulled Stiles into a bone-crushing hug. "In case it was unclear," he whispered, breath ghosting across Stiles' neck, "I'm in love with you, too." Stiles laughed and turned to face Derek.

They were pulled from their moment by Peter screaming again. Derek sighed and stood, pulling Stiles up with him. They walked over to the ring of Hales, hand in hand, then stared down at Peter's writhing figure. He was mumbling incoherently, tears streaming down his face.

"Peter," Derek said, and Stiles was more than a little impressed by the authority in his tone. "Peter, look at me."

"No, it was mine. I had it," Peter wailed, finally lying still. "It was mine."

"It was never yours, Peter," Derek replied, voice calm.

Peter slowly rose to his feet. "It was mine, but he took it from me." He pointed a shaky finger at Stiles then made a lunge for him.

Derek stepped in front of Stiles and roared, eyes glowing red. Peter cowered back, then turned and ran, breaking through the line of Hales surrounding him.

The Hales cheered and turned to hug each other, but Derek only had eyes for Stiles, soft expression on his face.

"I'm sorry," Stiles said.

Derek cupped his face, thumb stroking his bottom lip. Stiles shivered at the contact. "There's nothing to apologize for."

"I knew. I knew weeks ago," Stiles whispered, eyes glistening. "I should have said something sooner. I was almost too late."

"But you weren't," Derek said, voice soft. "You saved us, Stiles. You save _me_."

Stiles choked out a laugh. "Will you just kiss me already?"

"God, yes," Derek surged forward and captured Stiles' lips in a searing kiss. Stiles fisted the material of Derek's shirt and pulled him closer. The werewolf slid one hand into Stiles' hair and the other to the back of his neck, angling his face so he could deepen the kiss. Stiles moaned as Derek's tongue explored his mouth.

When they broke apart for air, Derek rested his forehead against Stiles'. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that."

Stiles snorted. "I think I have some idea."

"We're kind of stupid, huh?" Derek laughed.

"Maybe a little," Stiles agreed.

"Oh, God, you guys are disgustingly cute," came a female voice behind Derek.

"Laura, be nice," another woman reprimanded.

"What? I said 'cute.'"

Stiles blushed and let go of Derek's shirt. The werewolf seemed reluctant to release his hold, but he did. He grabbed Stiles' hand and they turned to face the Hales.

"Stiles," Derek said with a grin."Let me introduce you to my family."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
